In Casino, Martin Scorsese and his cast recreated a decade of gangland history on the Las Vegas strip. Don Rickles, who plays the real mobster Lefty Rosenthal in the movie, reminisces about his time working with Robert De Niro and other members of the cast.

Casino is about money, power, greed and betrayal. It has no heroes – every character is mired in corruption and dishonesty. But, even as a tale of betrayal and destruction, the film is compelling. The characters are real and the violence, including a popped eyeball and a sound-designed baseball bat beating, is horrifically effective.

In the beginning, Scorsese uses a fast-cut style that creates a documentarian feel to the film. As the story evolves, he slowly transitions away from narration and adds a lot more detail. The costumes, designed for a $1 million budget by Rita Ryack and John Dunn, are also authentic. There are mustard yellows and electric blues and crimson blazers for Ace, glamorous cocktail dresses and then slightly tackier white leather miniskirts and thigh-high boots for Ginger.

At its best, Casino is a classic gangster and moll story. It’s an old-fashioned tale of the pusher and the pulled, but it’s elevated by Sharon Stone’s superb performance as a feisty, addicted to anything femme fatale that most men would be happy to tame if they got the chance. But, the movie starts to falter when it tries to get too deep and goes beyond the casinos and into deserts and apartments.